Throwback Thursday: The Remarkable Farkle McBride by John Lithgow

The Remarkable Farkle McBride is the story of a young boy and his remarkable talent to play nearly every musical instrument. The book is written in rhyme and is filled with fantastical onomatopoeia to tell of the sounds of the various instruments.

This is one of my favorite childhood books because of the way it feels when I read it aloud. The rhyming and
the sounds of the instruments roll around your mouth and come out in a way that makes you smile. It's a beautiful book to look at. It is a beautiful book to read. And it is a beautiful book because it tells you to follow your desires until you find your true passion and calling. I love this book.

If you haven't read it yet go read it!

That's all for today! See you tomorrow!

Wednesdays With Miss Wren: And the winner is...

Hello Birds! Welcome to another installment of Wednesdays With Miss Wren! Today we have one very interesting question brought to us by Jordan on Facebook. His question is, "Who is the greatest author of all time?"

Thank you Jordan. For giving me an impossible question to answer. First of all I am going to clarify what author means in this post. An author is any person who has a published work of the written word. This includes, novelists, writers of short stories, writers of children's books, and playwrights.

Ok, now that we have that settled I can begin to discuss the question. At first I thought that I would not have an answer to this question. I believed that there was no author who surpassed all others. Yes, William Faulkner is a million times greater than Stephanie Meyer, but Stephanie Meyer is greater than the woman who wrote 50 Shades of Grey. I kept thinking about all my favorite authors and then I realized there is one author that I believe to truly be the greatest author of all time. His name was William Shakespeare.

Now, I am not saying he is the greatest simply because I am an actor. William Shakespeare's works

overcome the constraints of time and space (no he is not a Time Lord...although that would be awesome). His plays tell the truths of human existence. They tell of love, of war. They tell of betrayal and joy, mishaps and mayhem. The reach to the highest morality of human behavior and just as quickly fall to the lowest depths of human indecency. Shakespeare's plays warn of the dangers of ambition and obsession as well as showing the joys of true, honest love. All of these things are universal. They exist in every time and place. This is why I honestly believe William Shakespeare to be the greatest author of all time. But it really doesn't matter what I think. It matters what  you think. So let me know. Leave a comment telling me who you think the greatest author of all time is and leave me a question for next week!

Have a good day and I will talk to you tomorrow!

Get a copy of Hamlet here.
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Miscellaneous Tuesday: Prepare for Cuteness

Get ready...PUPPY ATTACK!

You're Welcome. 

Movie Monday:Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Good Morning Birds! So in an effort to remain honest with you all (fostering trust and all that) I am going to tell you that I do not like Jane Eyre. I do not like it as book, I do not like it for its hook. I do not like it here or there, I just do not like Jane Eyre. It is long and drags on in many places and a lot of the decisions made by the characters make me want to punch them. But those reasons are not the number one reason why I dislike Jane Eyre. So many girls and women read this book and devour it for it's love story. This is where I become increasingly upset. The love story in Jane Eyre is one of the most deceptive, manipulative, dysfunctional relationships I know of. It may be worse than Britney and K-Fed (don't judge). I know I am going to get lots of back lash for all of this, but let me prove my point.

Chapter 23 of the book is what most people see as the romantic climax of the book. It is the proposal scene. And what could be more romantic, or more loving, or more beautiful than a proposal? Well almost anything is better than the proposal in this book. So Rochester and Jane are out taking a walk. Jane has heard rumor that Rochester is going to get married. This makes her sad because she loves him. As they walk Rochester tells Jane how very sad it is that she must leave for he is to be married very soon. Jane grows more sad. Rochester continues to taunt Jane with the image of him marrying the beautiful Miss Ingram. Jane is very very sad by now. This continues for a while and Jane begins to sob because she doesn't want to leave Thornfield

Look at me! I'm a big fat jerk face
who manipulates young girls.

or Adele or Rochester. Finally Rochester tells Jane that it is not Miss Ingram he intends to marry. There is confusion on Jane's part, but once she knows he is telling the truth there is a lot of kissing and love being thrown around. This is not romantic! This is manipulative and mean. If Rochester really, truly loves Jane, then he shows it in a really douchey way. Now it is much easier to see how terribly heartbreaking this scene is when you read the book, but here is where the movies come in. This scene in most of the movie adaptation is manipulated by the filmmakers. They don't drag out Rochester's mocking. They add beautiful, romantic music, and they choose their shots very carefully to ensure that this scene is the most romantic moment of anyone's life. It makes me sad because everyone falls into the trap and doesn't see how truly terrible Rochester is as a person. If you don't believe he is a terrible person then let me remind you that he lies to Jane about having a crazy wife in the attic. Sooo...yeah...he's pretty terrible.

Because the book is so long it is hard to incorporate everything into one movie. But people keep trying. You don't believe me? Well go check out the complete list of Jane Eyre film adaptations here. While I haven't watched all of them and I don't enjoy them very much because it just makes me angry there are two adaptations that are fairly decent. One is the 2006 BBC Miniseries. I like this one because it allows more of the book to be included in the film which means a more comprehensive view of Jane and her story. I also like the 2011 movie. This one is probably the most famous adaptation. It is a little strange in places and cuts things out and moves things around, but it is more interesting to watch than the older adaptations I've seen.

Well that is all for today! Leave a comment letting me know what you think about the Jane Eyre proposal scene and your favorite movie adaptation!

Keep Reading!

Buy a beautiful Jane Eyre copy here.
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Series Friday: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Dear Reader,

If you have just come across this blog post then it is not too late to close the window and find something else to read. Like the books in A Series of Unfortunate Events this post is filled with misery, despair, and discomfort. You still have time to find another post of a lighter fare to read.

The letter from the first book
A Bad Beginning

For those of you unfamiliar with the series I speak of then you are very confused as to why this post is written in such a strange, depressing manner. Well on the back of every book in the series where the blurb would go is a letter to the reader from the author. This letter advises the reader to turn away from the book and, rightly, avoid the pain that the pages hold. This letter is one of my favorite parts of this series. I love to read what Mr. Snicket wants me to avoid in the book I hold in my hands.

The series is in fact filled with depressing events that force themselves onto three young children, yet more often than not you will find yourself chuckling at the ridiculousness you are reading of. The books contain lessons on vocabulary, herpetology (the study of reptiles of course), theatre, carnivals, surgery, and everything else you could thing of.

This series is one of the most perfect series I have ever read. But, dear reader, do not go forth and read these dreadfully sad books unless you are sure you can handle the despair they contain. If you do feel able then you can buy some of them here. But I hope you avoid the pain and sorrow they contain.

With all due respect,





(I hoped you liked this post in the style of Lemony Snicket. Leave a comment telling me about your thoughts on A Series of Unfortunate Events and let me know what series I should talk about next week!)

Throwback Thursday: Ted by Tony DiTerlizzi

It’s Throwback Thursday! So let’s talk about one of my favorite books from my childhood! Yay!

Ted by Tony DiTerlizzi is one of my favorite childhood storybooks. Ted is the story of “A father and a son and the big, raspberry-colored, fun-loving, troublemaking, best friend who brings them closer together. Awe! Precious!

Ok so where am I going with this…well let’s talk about the beautiful art in the book which you can see over

on the right. The pictures are big and beautiful and detailed and filled with love. Hooray for pretty pictures!

Pretty pictures are great, but that is not my favorite thing in the book. My favorite thing about this book is how it inspires and encourages childhood joy and imagination. It encourages you to keep your childhood fantasies even when you are grown and have your own children. One of my favorite quotes is all over the internet and I don’t even know where it came from originally but it says “Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.” I try really hard to live my life like this. Which doesn’t always happen, but it is a whole lot more fun when it does.

Anyway, I love Ted. It taught me that my childhood fantasies didn’t have to go away just because I got older. Which is why you can find me watching Spongebob Squarepants and Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends.

That’s all for today! Leave a comment telling me your favorite childhood book, your childhood fantasies, or what children’s book I should talk about next week for Throwback Thursday!

Go do something childish!

Wednesdays With Miss Wren: Men and Rowling

Good morning birds and welcome to the first installment of Wednesdays with Miss Wren! (Insert Applause Here). Oh stop it, you are too kind. I asked you what would you like to ask and I got two very great questions so here we go.

First question comes from Stephanie on Facebook. Stephanie asked “How do I get a man?” My gut reaction was cookies. Give him cookies. Which was then followed by steak, which was then followed by beer. So. Food. Give a man food. Then when he falls asleep from the roofies you slipped in the food, you stage a dangerous situation from which you rescue him and he will fall in love with you forever. Congratulations Stephanie! You just got yourself a man! (But really, don’t roofie people. It is rude. Just give him non-roofied food.) 

Disney Princesses Tell You How To Get A Man
http://morloth88.deviantart.com/art/How-to-get-a-man-101313124

Next question comes from Jordan on Facebook. Jordan asked me “What are your thoughts on jk Rowling using a fake name to write a new series?” Ok. So when I read that my mind started going crazy with thoughts of all the amazing things that could come from it. She could write a series about an angsty teenage boy who has the supernatural ability to stop time, and uses it to fight evil! Or she could write a series about an angsty teenage boy who could explode at any moment due to a botched medical experiment. Or she could write a series about an angsty teenage boy whose father is Harry Potter (*cough cough*).

An Angsty Teenage Boy

It would be awesome! However, I honestly don’t think it would work. Jo’s (yeah, we are that close. I can call her by her first name) publishers want to publish anything she writes under J.K. Rowling because the publishers know it will sell whether it is good or not. By publishing her work under a different pen name they run the risk that the book (or books) won’t sell very well which is not good for them because then they don’t make money (like they need more money). Also, I don’t feel that it would remain secret. I feel with all the Harry Potter fandom fanatics out there people would discover that K. J. Lowring (or other such name) was really J.K. Rowling and it would defeat the purpose of the new pen name anyway. So what is my final opinion? If J.K. Rowling wants to write a new series under a different pen name she should. If she wants to write a new series under her current pen name she should do that. I will probably read it either way.

That’s all for today! Thanks to Stephanie and Jordan for their questions! Remember to leave a comment with your thoughts on either of our questions or questions you want me to answer next week.

Until tomorrow, keep reading and have a lovely day!

Miscellaneous Tuesday: The Smell of Books

I love the smell of books. And bookstores. Bookstores smell like books and coffee and magic. Which makes them the best places in the world. While I love the smell of a book I have never been able to pinpoint what it is that a book (new or old) smells like. Lucky for me, I have a teacher who is amazing and gave me the answer. She told me, "I'm going to start with a physical book I hold in my hands, one that smells like the truth about something the writer believes." Books smell of paper and ink, sure. But that is not what makes the smell of a book magical. It is the smell of freedom, of beauty, of truth, of love (yes, I did just quote Moulin Rouge. It's my favorite movie and I am watching it as I am writing this post so...). All my favorite books provide messages of truth in one way or another. Isn't that the best part of reading? Discovering a new truth. That's why I love to read anyway. It is also why I love the smell of books. 

I know this post is a little short, but that is all I really have to say on this Tuesday. Leave a comment and let me know what you think books smell like and what your favorite book smells like.

Have a lovely day!

Movie Monday: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Well let’s just start by saying there is no movie adaptation of Frankenstein that even comes close to getting anything right. There are bits and pieces in the different movies that touch the book, but then they leave in a completely new direction. If you are hoping you can watch a movie to get out of reading this book you will be sadly disappointed. However, that doesn’t mean that the movies aren’t good. My favorite movie adaptation of Frankenstein is the 1994 movie Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The movie has Kenneth Branagh playing a brilliant Victor Frankenstein, Robert De Niro as The Creature, Tom Hulce as Victor’s friend Henry Clerval (whose role in the movie and the book are completely different), and Helena Bonham Carter as Victor’s adopted sister/betrothed Elizabeth.

Look at that scary guy
Robert De Niro as The Creature

The biggest problem with creating a Frankenstein movie is that in a visual medium like a movie you need to show the audience what is happening. In order to make the movie interesting the audience should see how a character gets from one point to another. This is a problem for filmmakers in making Frankenstein because Mary Shelley does not provide an explanation of how Victor goes from inspiration to animation of the creature. Shelley did this on purpose so as not to invite critics to say “That is not possible!” “You couldn’t accomplish it that way!” It is a brilliant thing to do when you think about it. By not providing an explanation Shelley kept people from turning her work into a joke. However, this lack of explanation means that each filmmaker must create a process to show on screen. This leads to every process being a little bit different. In Branagh’s movie, one of the most interesting—and disturbing—creation sequences is shown as Victor gathers the amniotic fluid from women going into labor. Victor uses this to create a makeshift womb for his creature. It really is a plausible way to portray the creation of the monster. There are many other problems that arise when creating a movie adaptation of Frankenstein. Too many to go into all of them so I will move on to some things that I just loved about the 1994 movie, whether they related to the book or not.

One of the biggest themes of the book is the danger of obsession. Kenneth Branagh plays the obsession of Victor Frankenstein brilliantly. He cannot let go. He obsesses with his research, he obsesses with finding the creature, he obsesses with killing the creature, he obsesses with  getting away from the creature. This obsession leads to Victor’s downfall. Branagh’s portrayal really gives an insight to the dangers of obsession. I loved every minute he was on screen.

My favorite part of the book and movie: Elizabeth’s death.

Helena Bonham Carter
as Elizabeth

I don’t know why I liked it in the book so much. Maybe I am secretly a sadistic sociopath. Who knows? I do know why I liked the death in the movie. SPOILER ALERT! Skip to the next paragraph if you haven’t seen the movie, but you want to. If not read ahead. The creature (played by a deformed, lumbering Robert De Niro)comes into Elizabeth and Victor’s room on the night of their wedding. Victor has left to find and kill the creature, not knowing the creature is already inside with Elizabeth. After some creepy hovering over Elizabeth and talking at her the creature punches through her chest and pulls out her heart! It is amazing! Coolest death/murder scene ever.

Ok birds, that is all for Movie Monday. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this book/movie. Leave a comment with your favorite parts in the book or movie and let me know which book turned movie we should discuss next week.

Have a lovely day!

If you want to buy the book go here. 

If you want to watch the trailer for the 1994 movie go here. If you want to watch my vlog based on this post go here.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Miss Wren's Nest official blog! Woohoo! Party!

This post is to welcome you and thank you for reading this blog. It will also give you a little rundown of what to expect on this blog. It will be a weekdaily (I know it's not a word, just go with it) blog (for as long as I can keep it up that is...I get lazy quickly...) and each day of the week will have a specific theme for the post. So here's what to expect for each day of the week.

Movie Monday: Discussing a movie and the book that inspired it. Or discussing a book that would make an awesome movie!

Miscellaneous Tuesday: This may or may not be book related. You will just have to read to find out! 

Wednesdays With Miss Wren: This day I will answer your questions on just about anything! Send me 

questions on Twitter or Facebook.

Throwback Thursday: I know, everyone does this all over the internet, but I don't care. It will be fun and you will enjoy it!! On this day I will talk about one of my favorite books from back in the day. Which day you ask? Well my days! My childhood and other days gone by. 

Series Friday: On this day I will discuss a series of books that I have read. 

Hooray! Now you know what you can expect to see from Miss Wren everyday. I hope to see you back and I hope you will engage and discuss with me and all the other little birds out there! If you are in need of a book so that you can truly enjoy what is happening you can buy books from my website! I will try to keep at least one copy of whatever book I am discussing in my inventory...but that may not happen...it will be an adventure!

Thanks birds! Talk to you soon!